Dylan Glyn Williams

Previous education / experience

I completed my MA (TESOL) at The University of Manchester in 2010 and then embarked on my PhD in-context route in 2012.

I work as an Associate Teaching Professor at Seoul National University teaching EAP to undergraduates and giving workshops on EMI (English Medium Instruction) to both graduate students and faculty. I’m also currently collaborating on an international research project into EMI throughout the ASEAN region. I have been in Korea since 2001.

Thesis title

Students' Perceptions of EMI in South Korean Higher Education

Supervisors

Research details

Internationalization is a global phenomenon; therefore globally, English-Medium Instruction (EMI) is being implemented rapidly in all levels of education. In non-Anglophone higher education contexts the reason for the implementation is the pursuit of university rankings. With rapid implementation this requires subject content to be taught in English by instructors who are non-native English speakers. It also places pressure on students who have to compete both academically and linguistically.

My PhD thesis focuses on students’ perceptions of EMI at a selective, research-intensive university in Korea. By using a constructivist grounded theory approach, my research will be broadly structured by the following research questions:

1. What past experiences do the students think they bring to their EMI courses?2. What kind of interactions do the students experience during their EMI courses?3. How do the students experience access to their subject content during their EMI courses?4. What university support do the students experience during their EMI courses?

Research interests

As well as EMI I’m interested in the following research areas:

L1 use as a learning tool

Student Autonomy

Enquiry Based Learning

Collaborative Language Learning

Personal Agency

Sociocultural Theory

Transitions

Neoliberalism

Grounded Theory

Publications

Williams, D. G. (2016). Understanding the Interplay between Context and Agency in a South Korean High School English Classroom. TESOL International Journal. 11(1). p.15-32.

Williams, D. G. (2015). A Systematic Review of English Medium Instruction (EMI) and Implications for the South Korean Higher Education Context. ELT World Online. Special Issue on CLIL.